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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 125 Stone Dagger Gang
Zhang Qiu was still eating at the table when the barbecue Shop Owner brought a plate of specialty cod to the four young men. The red-haired one raised an eyebrow, looking dissatisfied as he asked Boss, "Is this all we've got?"
Boss hurriedly replied, "There's another one cooking right now. This one is ready, so I brought it over for you guys to try."
"Hurry up, we're waiting!" The red-haired one lowered his head, his fierce gaze softening.
"Alright, I'll bring it over as soon as it's done," Boss said with a smile.
Gao Zhi watched the interaction between the barbecue Shop Owner and the four delinquents, and all his doubts vanished. He turned to Zhang Qiu and said, "Brother Qiu, I'm in."
"Great." Zhang Qiu patted Gao Zhi on the shoulder, nodding appreciatively.
Among the four who had been silent, Gao Zhi was the first to express his stance. The barbecue shop's Boss looked to be in his forties; running such a large establishment meant he was likely wealthier than many. Yet in front of these twenty-something delinquents, he had to bow and scrape. Remembering his own experiences, Gao Zhi made up his mind decisively.
Once someone spoke up, things progressed quickly. Zhao Pingchuan also decided, "Brother Qiu, I'm with you too."
"Good." Zhang Qiu smiled in response.
"Since everyone has agreed, what reason do I have not to? Let's do this!" Wang Zhengxiang laughed heartily. He might not excel in academics, but perhaps the underworld was a good choice for him. With someone as studious as Gao Zhi already on board, what did he have to worry about?
Seeing that everyone was willing to join him made Zhang Qiu happy. The only one left who hadn't expressed an opinion was Yao Yu. Zhang Qiu looked at Yao Yu, who was still conflicted, frowning deeply and avoiding eye contact.
Zhang Qiu thought to himself that perhaps Yao Yu didn't want to participate, so he gently said, "Don't feel pressured; this is a voluntary choice. Even if you decide not to join us, we’re still brothers."
"Brother Qiu, I... I won't participate." Yao Yu seemed to have made a significant decision, gritting his teeth to say this.
Before Zhang Qiu could respond, Wang Zhengxiang, sitting to Yao Yu's left, nudged him and said, "Why aren't you joining? Don't you want to struggle together with us?"
"Yeah, Brother Qiu is so good to us. Why not join?" Gao Zhi also urged from the side.
Yang Yu was surprisingly quiet, continuously shaking his teacup and watching the floating tea leaves inside, quietly observing everything in front of him without saying a word.
Yao Yu lowered his head even further, as if trying to burrow into his clothes. Zhang Qiu quickly waved his hand to stop Gao Zhi and the others, smiling at Yao Yu, "It's okay, it's okay. If you don't want to join, then don't. There's no pressure."
Yao Yu raised his head, his eyes flickering, his cheeks slightly flushed as he said in a very low voice, "Brother Qiu, thank you."
"Don't mention it. You’re my brother now. Come on, let’s drink!" Zhang Qiu raised his cup again.
This time the atmosphere during the toast felt somewhat awkward. Zhang Qiu noticed that everyone had their own concerns and couldn't help but sigh. In life, one faces too many choices; each choice can alter a person's fate. It might lead someone to success or plunge them into despair. He wondered what awaited him and these brothers in terms of fate this time.
Putting down his cup, Zhao Pingchuan asked Zhang Qiu, "Brother Qiu, if we join the Stone Dagger Gang, then the Hall Society..." He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone knew what he meant. All eyes turned to Zhang Qiu.
"Of course we still belong to the Hall Society," Zhang Qiu answered directly, clearly having considered it.
"Is that really feasible?" Zhao Pingchuan asked with some concern.
Zhang Qiu smiled slightly and said, "During the War of Resistance, our army accepted the leadership of the National Government to promote a united front. At that time, we were all part of the National Army. Now we just need to temporarily share some benefits with the Stone Dagger Gang for our own development."
"Brother Qiu, I am increasingly impressed by you," Zhao Pingchuan said sincerely.
Zhang Qiu smiled and turned to Yang Yu, saying, "You're the only one here who has heard of the Stone Dagger Gang. Why don't you tell everyone about it so we can be prepared for tonight?"
"Sure, Brother Qiu." Yang Yu sat up straight and said, "I've heard that in our Beilan County, there are three major gangs. The Stone Dagger Gang in the west and north, Lin Tao in the east, and Sister Hua in the south."
"Sister Hua is a woman?" Zhang Qiu asked.
Yang Yu nodded. "Yes, the Red-Light District near the Old County Hospital is under Sister Hua's control."
"Go on." This was getting more interesting; it was the first time Zhang Qiu had heard about these matters.
"These three major gangs control the underworld in Beilan County. The Stone Dagger Gang in the west and Tao Ge in the east often have conflicts, while Sister Hua rarely disputes with them. Of course, Sister Hua is the weakest among the three gangs. Many people from our school are affiliated with Tao Ge, but to make a name for oneself, it has to be through the Stone Dagger Gang. Before the severe crackdown last century, the Stone Dagger Gang was at its peak, led by Meng Tuanjie. Don't be fooled by his name; he was quite formidable."
"In what way was he formidable?"
"Meng Tuanjie was originally just a farmer. During the steel production campaign, every household sent people to support construction, aiming to catch up with Britain and America within three years."
"Brother Yu, your history knowledge is pretty good," Gao Zhi suddenly interjected.
Yang Yu smiled awkwardly and said, "I only know this part because I've often heard people talk about it." After Yang Yu finished speaking, everyone laughed. Zhang Qiu urged him to continue.
Yang Yu continued, "At that time, Meng Tuanjie represented his family to work in iron smelting and was assigned to mine ore. You can imagine, a farmer has plenty of strength. Meng Tuanjie was skilled at his work and quickly gained recognition from the officials who wanted to introduce him into the party. Unfortunately, Meng Tuanjie came from a family with a bad background; his father was a rich peasant, so this matter fell through. Later, after the Great Leap Forward ended, Meng Tuanjie returned home to continue farming."
"Then what? Did he do something else?" Zhang Qiu subconsciously felt that someone like Meng Tuanjie was not meant to be a farmer.
Yang Yu laughed and said, "Of course! He was just lucky. In 1966, the Cultural Revolution began again, and Meng Tuanjie transformed into the leader of the rebels. With his daring spirit and a heart full of passion, he quickly grew in power while wielding a shoulder pole. Eventually, after tasting success, Meng Tuanjie was no longer content being a farmer and turned to the underworld. The stone and the shoulder pole were the two things Meng Tuanjie valued most in his life, which is also how the Stone Dagger Gang got its name."
Zhang Qiu was secretly amazed and did a rough calculation, asking, "So he must be over seventy now?"
"Over eighty," Yang Yu replied. "But I hear that the current head of the Stone Dagger Gang is his son, Meng Guozhi, nicknamed Scorpion. Just from that nickname, you can tell he’s ruthless and venomous. Now, the western and northern parts of the city are all under the influence of the Stone Dagger Gang; this restaurant might have to pay him protection money."
With just a glance, Zhang Qiu understood Yang Yu's meaning and smiled, saying, "We’re not part of the Stone Dagger Gang yet. No matter who those guys are with, if they mess with us, they won't have it easy; we’ll fight back without hesitation!"
Yang Yu burst into laughter. "That's still my familiar Brother Qiu."
"Boss, enjoy your meal!"
While Zhang Qiu was still listening to Yang Yu talk about the history of the Stone Dagger Gang, on the other side, Red Hair had already finished eating. He had one foot on a stool, picking his teeth while watching the Boss.
The Shop Owner saw Red Hair beckoning him over and hurriedly smiled as he approached to clean up the table. However, Red Hair had no intention of leaving; he stopped the Boss from taking away the plates and said, "A few of us want to go home but don’t have much money left. Boss, what do you think we should do?"
The Boss frowned in distress, thinking to himself that Red Hair was eating and drinking for free at his place while trying to extort money from him. After all, he had already paid them protection money. Although he thought this way in his heart, seeing Red Hair and his companions looking drunk made the Shop Owner fear causing any trouble. He could only swallow his anger and finally pulled out a bill featuring Grandpa Mao from his pocket with gritted teeth. He smiled broadly as he handed it to Red Hair and said, "Here’s some money for you guys to take a taxi home; use the rest to buy some cigarettes."
Red Hair smirked as he grabbed the money from the Boss's hand and let out a satisfied burp. He turned to his companions and said, "The Boss is generous; remember to come by often to support his business. Let’s go."
With that, Red Hair threw his jacket over his shoulder and swaggered out with his bare arms exposed while the other three thugs followed him with cheerful smiles.
After Hong Mao and the others left, the Boss came over to Zhang Qiu's table and said, "You guys better not get into conflicts with those people. They are all involved in the underworld, and we ordinary folks can't afford to mess with them. I still have to pay them protection money every month." The Boss sighed repeatedly.
Zhang Qiu asked the Boss, "You collect protection money and they still come here to eat and drink for free?"
The Boss looked helpless and smiled bitterly, "There's nothing I can do. If I don't let them come, I can't keep this restaurant running. At first, when I didn't pay, they would come in and just sit around without ordering anything, each taking up a table. The customers who came in were scared off by that scene. There's no choice; if I give them money, I can at least make a little profit, but if I don't, I'll end up losing everything and have to close down."
"Isn't there anyone to manage this? Why not call the police?" Zhang Qiu asked again.
The Boss chuckled but didn't answer directly; he only said, "Just don't provoke them. I'm doing this for your own good."
"Okay," Zhang Qiu replied with a smile, glancing at the swaying Hong Mao outside. He said to the Boss, "We're leaving now; let's settle the bill."
"Sure thing." The Boss brought over the bill from the counter and reported, "The total is two hundred sixty-three; I'll charge you two hundred sixty."
"Thank you." Zhang Qiu smiled as he pulled out some cash from his pocket. The largest bill was a fifty-dollar note, with most being ten and twenty-dollar bills, along with many one-dollar bills. As Zhang Qiu counted, he suddenly realized he only had two hundred thirty-two dollars in total.
This was quite awkward—treating someone to a meal but not having enough money...
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